Robert Mann
Krasiński’s "Undivine Comedy" and
Goethe’s "Faust"
Literary Studies in Poland 11, 39-52
R obert M ann
K rasiń ski’s Undivine C om edy and G o e th e’s haust
W hen students at W arsaw U niversity boycotted classes in M arch, 1829, in o rd e r to p articip ate in a p atrio tic d em o nstration , Zygm unt K rasiński atten d ed class alone. H e did this at the behest o f his father, a Polish general ho wished to rem ain loyal to the R ussian tsar. Faced with the resentm ent o f his fellow students, the young K rasiński left Poland to continue his edu cation in Sw itzerland. The Polish uprising o f 1830—1831 eru p ted while K rasiński was studying a t the U niversity o f G eneva. O nce again, his father forbade him to take p art in the struggle for independence, denouncing it as a social revolution m otivated by class h atred. K rasiński was to rn between loyalty to his father an d Polish natio n al patriotism , but again he acquiesced to the wishes o f his father.
In th e au tu m n o f 1833, with the Polish uprising an d the French revolution o f 1830 still fresh in his m em ory, the young K rasiński com pleted his first dram a, N ie-B oska kom edia (T h e Undivine C om edy). An insightful an d seemingly p rop hetic study o f the class struggle, the play clearly reflects K rasiń sk i’s ow n divided loyalties in the Polish conflict, but the w riter’s guiding inspiration is the exam ple o f Jesus C hrist, no t the pro gram o f any political faction. The play is an indictm ent o f violence and social injustice an d a com m entary on the C hristian ends which poetry should serve in life. Published an o n y m ously in P aris in 1835, The Undivine C om edy ranks alongside M ickiew icz's D ziady ( Forefathers' E ve) an d S low acki's Kordian as one o f the greatest d ram atic w orks in Polish R om an tic literature.
T he central character. C o u n t H enry (hrabia H enryk), is a poet, although his poetic activity never becom es the im m ediate object o f p o rtray al. The play is com prised o f four parts, each preceded
by a sh ort prelude. P art O ne opens with H e n ry ’s gu ard ian angel, who declares:
Peace to all m en o f g ood will. Blessed be he am o n g created things w ho has a h eart. H e m ay yet be saved. O g o o d an d m odest wife, com e fo rth fo r him a n d m ay a child be b o rn in y o u r house.
[Pokój ludziom d o b rej woli — błogosław iony p o śró d stw o rzeń , k to m a serce — on jeszcze zb aw io n być m oże. — Ż o n o d o b ra i sk ro m n a , zjaw się dla niego — i dziecię niechaj się uro d zi w d o m u w a sz y m .]1
T he angel flies away, and a chorus of evil spirits app ears as it perceived the evil spectre as an em bodim ent o f divine b eau ty :
O nw ard, o n w a rd , p h a n to m s, fly to w ard him ! Y ou in fro n t, at the head o f the others, shade o f his co n cu b in e w ho died yesterday, shade freshened by the m ist an d decked in flowers, O m aiden, m istress o f the poet, fo rw ard !
O n w ard an d you, to o , fam e, old eagle, stuffed in hell, tak en d ow n fro m the stake on which the h u n te r h u n g you in au tu m n , fly. spread wide y o u r great wings, w hite fro m th e sun, o ’er th e p o e t’s head.
C o m e fo rth from o u r vaults, ro tte n p ictu re o f E den, the w ork o f B eelzebub. Let us fill y o u r holes a n d cover them over w ith varnish, and th en , o m agic canvas, roll y o u rse lf into a clo u d an d fly to th e poet. Sw iftly unravel y o u rself a ro u n d him , g ird him w ith ro ck s a n d w aters, n ig h t a n d day by tu rn s. O M o th e r N a tu re, encircle the p o e t! (p. 180).
[W drogę, w drogę, w idm a, lećcie ku niem u! — T y n a p rzó d , ty n a czele, cieniu nałożnicy, u m arłej w czoraj, odśw ieżony w mgle i u b ra n y w kw iaty, dziew ico, k o c h a n k o poety, n ap rzó d .
W drogę i ty, sław o, stary orle w ypchany w piekle, zdjęty z p alu, kędy cię strzelec zaw iesił w jesieni — leć i ro zto c z skrzydłą, wielkie, białe od słońca, n ad głow ą poety.
Z naszych sklepów w ynidź, sp ró c h n iały o b razie E den u , dzieło B elzebuba — dziury zalepiem i rozw iedziem y p o k o ste m — a potem , p łó tn o czarodziejskie, zwiń się w c h m u rę i leć d o p oety — w net się rozw iąż n a o k o ło niego, o pasz go skałam i i w odam i, na przem ian n ocą i dniem . — M a tk o n a tu ro , otocz p o etę! (p. 71)].
T hen unfolds the personal d ra m a o f C o u n t H enry, the central focus o f this cosm ic struggle between G o d and th e Devil. T he gu ardian angel provides H enry w ith a loving wife an d child, while the satanic spirits conspire to lead him astray w ith th eir tw ofold tem p tatio n : carnal beauty an d glory.
1 English tex t: H. B. S e g e l. Polish R om antic Dram a. Three P lays in English
Translation, I th a c a —L o n d o n 1977. p. 180. Polish tex t: Z. K r a s i ń s k i , N ie-B oska ko m ed ia , ed. S. T re u g u tt. W arszaw a 1974, p. 71. A ll fu rth er q u o ta tio n s com e from
Undivine C om edy and Faust 41
P a rt O ne deals prim arily w ith the first tem p tatio n . T he ghost o f the p ro stitu te repeatedly ap p ears before H enry, causing him to lose interest in his wife an d eventually enticing him aw ay into the m o u n ta in s on the day o f his so n ’s christening. But when they reach a cliff overlooking the sea, the ghost reveals h erself to H enry in h er true, corpse-like form . T h e flowers fall from h er h a ir and craw l aw ay like snakes an d lizards. The wind tears her dress away, revealing her bare skeleton. H enry realizes th at he has m istakenly perceived the evil spectre as an em bodim ent o f divine b eauty:
O G o d , d o you d a m n me because I believed th a t Y o u r B eauty surpasses the b e au ty o f this e a rth by a w hole h eav e n ? Because I w ent in p u rsu it o f it and w earied m yself fo r it, only to becom e an am u sem en t fo r devils? (p. 188).
[Boże, czy Ty m nie za to p otępisz, żem uw ierzył, iż T w o ja piękność przenosi o całe n ieb o piękność tej ziemi — za to , żem ścigał za nią i męczył się dla niej, ażem stał się igrzyskiem sz atan ó w ? (p. 83)].
In despair and a b o u t to ju m p over the precipice, he exclaim s: It is vain to struggle. T he c h a rm o f th e abyss tem p ts me. M y soul is giddy. 0 G o d , y our enem y co n q u ers! (I.e.).
[N a p ró ż n o walczyć — ro zkosz o tch ła n i m nie poryw a — z aw ró t w duszy mojej — Boże — w róg Tw ój zwycięża! (I.e.).
B ut the guard ian angel intercedes:
Peace u n to you, w aves, be calm . A t this m o m en t, the holy w ater o f bap tism is being p o u red u p o n y o u r b a b y ’s head. R etu rn hom e an d sin n o m ore! R etu rn h o m e a n d love y o u r child! (I.e.).
P o k ó j w am , bałw any, uciszcie się!
W tej chwili na głow ę dziecięcia tw ego zlew a się w oda święta. W racaj do d o m u i nie grzesz więcej.
W racaj do d o m u i kochaj dziecię tw oje (/.£•.)].
T hus, H enry’s own sins are sym bolically cleansed by his so n ’s christening. W hen he re tu rn s hom e, he finds his wife in the m adhouse, driven insane by his d esertion o f her. She tells H enry th a t the spirit o f poetry has descended upo n her:
F ro m the tim e I lost you, a ch an g e cam e o v er me. “ L o rd G o d ,” I said, and beat m y b reast, a n d h e ld ,a ta p e r to m y chest, an d did p e n a n c e —“S end d ow n the spirit o f p o etry u n to m e” - a n d on th e m o rn in g o f the th ird day I becam e a poet (p. 190).
O d kiedym cię straciła, zaszła o d m ia n a we m nie — „P an ie Boże” , m ów iłam 1 b iłam się w piersi, i gro m n icę przy staw iałam d o piersi, i p o k u to w a ła m , „spuść na m nie d u c h a poezji” , i trzeciego nia z ran a stałam się p o e tą (p. 86)].
Robert M ann
A nd she has bequeathed her poetic in spiration to th eir son: At the ch riste n in g th e priest gave him first nam e th e poet [O rpheus], T he o th ers you k n o w - G e o r g e S tanislas. I arra n g e d it th a t way. 1 blessed him an d ad d ed a curse. H e will be a poet. A h, how I love you, H en ry ! (p. 191)2.
[N a chrzcie ksiądz mu dał pierw sze imię - p o eta - a na stęp n e znasz. Jerzy Stanisław . — Ja m to spraw iła - błogosław iłam , d o d a ła m przek lęstw o — o n będzie po etą. — A ch, jak ż e cię k o ch am , H e n ry k u ! (p. 88)].
She dies in the m adhouse as P art O ne ends. H e n ry ’s vision o f carnal beauty h as tu rn ed out to be an ugly p h an to m , while true poetic beauty is em bodied in his wife an d son, in the ties o f C hristian love which bind the family.
A num b er o f years pass betw een P art O ne and P a rt Tw o, which focuses on H e n ry ’s son. T he b o y ’s nicknam e is O rcio, from O rfeusz (Orpheus). His m o th er com m unicates with him from beyond th e grave, inspiring him with verses which he recites by heart. A s n oted above, H enry him self is a p o et; O rcio is a sym bol o f H en ry ’s ow n poetic gift. N ear the beginning o f P a rt Tw o, H enry en co un ters M ephistophe- les in a m o untain canyon, w here they exchange only a few w ords before M ephistopheles disap p ears am ong the rocks. T hen the second tem p tatio n p repared by the evil spirits, the eagle o f glory, ap p ears before H enry, distractin g him from his th ou gh ts o f O rcio :
T he p o o r child, fo r his fa th e r’s fau lts a n d his m o th e r’s m adness d o o m ed to etern al b lin d n e ss— incom plete, a rd o rless, living only by d ream s, the sh a d o w o f a fleeting angel cast u p o n the e arth an d ro a m in g in aim less transcience. W hat a huge eagle so ared above the place where th is m an d isa p p ea re d ! (p. 197).
]Biedne dziecię, dla win ojca. dla szału m atki p rz ezn ac zo n e wiecznej ślepocie — nie d o p ełn io n e , bez nam iętności, żyjące ty lk o m arzeniem , cień przelatu jąceg o an io ła rzu co n y o ziem ię i błądzący w znikom ości swojej. — Ja k iż o g ro m n y orzeł wzbił się n ad m iejscem , w k tó ry m ten człow iek zn ik n ął! (pp. 9 7 —98)].
The eagle is closely associated with M ephistopheles, app earin g and disappearing on the spot where M ephistopheles disap peared from
: Segel ren d ers p o eta as a p ro p e r n o u n : “ P o e t” . In o th er w ords, the boy s n am e, acco rd in g to th is reading, is Poet G eo rg e S tanislas, which recalls the poet G eo rg e B yron. Segel, alo n g with Stefan T reu g u tt ( K r a s i ń s k i , op. cit.. p. 47). in terp re ts O rcio a s a nicknam e form ed fro m ‘J e rz y ’ (G eorge). 1 have in te rp rete d p oeta as an ap p o sitiv e o f imię. referring to th e poet w hose first nam e the child bears. T h o u g h the full form o f the nam e is never stated. 1 have in te rp rete d Orcio as a n icknam e from O rfeusz (O rpheus). O rp h e u s is a C h rist sym bol in Irydion.
Undivine C om edy a n d Faust 43 view. It is a stuffed bird, as stated in P a rt One. Possibly it is m an i pu lated by M ephistopheles, w ho has ju st told H enry th at he is a v entri loquist. T he eagle invokes H enry to fight for the h o n o r o f his aristo cratic ancestors. H enry eagerly vows to fight for h o n o r and glory, tru stin g the stuffed bird o f the Devil.
It is significant th at the eagle d istracts H enry from his com p assion a te th o u g h ts ab o u t his son. Im m ediately before M ephistopheles appears, H e n ry ’s guard ian angel tells him :
Love the sick, th e hungry, the d esp airin g , love y o u r neighbors, y o u r p o o r n eighbors, a n d you will be saved (I.e.).
[Schorzałych, zgłodniałych, rozpaczających p o k o ch aj bliźnich tw oich, biednych bliźnich tw oich, a zbaw ion będziesz (/.c*.)].
In follow ing the eagle o f glory, H enry is turn in g once again from the p ath o f C hristian love prescribed by the guardian angel. A s it hovers by the cliffs, the eagle o f glory “sucks the pupils” o f H e n ry ’s eyes with its “ rattlesnake gaze” (w zrokiem węża grzechotni-
k a ), blinding him to C hristian duty.
When H enry retu rns from the m ountains, he finds th at O rcio h as gone com pletely blind. A t tim es the boy sees before his eyes a tiny snake (cieniutkiego węża) th at is clearly related to the blinding “ ra ttlesn a k e’s gaze” which H enry faced. O rcio 's blindness symbolizes the stiflling o f H e n ry ’s ow n creative gift. T ru e C hristian poetry falls victim to H en ry ’s rom antic, egotistical pursuit o f glory. A t the end o f P art Tw o, H enry lam ents his so n ’s plight:
M ay m y blessing rest u p o n you. I can give yo u n o th in g m ore, n e ith er happiness, n o r light, n o r fam e. A n d th e h o u r is at h a n d w hen I m ust fight, act with a h a n d fu l o f people ag ain st hordes. W here will you go. all a lo n e a m o n g a h u n d red abysses, a blind, w eak ch ild a n d po et all in one. a p o o r singer w ith o u t an audience living by the spirit beyond the confines o f th e e arth , an d c h ain ed to th e e arth by y o u r body. O you u n h ap p y , un h ap p iest o f angels. O my son! (p. 202).
IN iech m oje błogosław ieństw o spoczyw a na tobie — nic ci więcej dac nie mogę. ni szczęścia, ni św iatła, ni sławy — a d o b ija g odzina, w k tó rej będę m usiał walczyć, działać z k ilkom a ludźm i przeciw ko wielu ludziom . — G d zie się ty podziejesz, sam jed en i w śród stu przepaści, ślepy, bezsilny, dziecię i p o e to zarazem , b iedny śpiew aku bez słuchaczy, żyjący d uszą za o b rę b am i ziem i, a ciałem p rz y k u ty d o ziemi — o ty nieszczęśliwy, najnieszczęśliw szy z aniołów , o ty m ój synu! (p. 104)].
In turn in g aw ay from his son fo r the pursuit o f glory. H enry is sym bolically forsaking true poetry, his own poetic gift.
to storm the last stronghold o f the aristocracy, the C astle o f the H oly T rinity. T he revolutionary arm y is com posed o f w orkers, peasants an d idlers. It is a drunken, b loo dthristy m ob led by P ank racy, a virtual A ntichrist whose only god is R eason. But P a rt T hree also exposes the co rru p tio n o f the aristocracy and the abuses o f pow er which have fired the h atre d o f the w orkers an d peasants. N either side is show n in a very good light. P ankracy tries to bargain with H enry, prom ising him safety if he rem ains on his ancestral estate and does no t jo in the aristo crats in the C astle o f the H oly T rinity. But H enry refuses.
P art F o u r p o rtray s the aristo c ra ts’ last stand. Before the final battle, O rcio leads his father dow n into the fortress dungeon to a “terrible ju d g m e n t” {straszny sąd) which the boy hears every night. T he voices
o f those w ho have been to rtu re d and victim ized by the ruling class condem n C o u n t H en ry :
Because you have loved n othing, h onored n o th in g save yourself, save y o u rself a n d y our ow n th o u g h ts, you are dam n ed , d a m n e d fo r all e te rn ity (p. 238).
[Za to, żeś nic nie kochał, nic nie czcił p ró cz siebie, prócz siebie i myśli tw ych, p o tęp io n jesteś — p o tęp io n na wieki (p. 152)].
When the rebels’ final assault begins, O rcio pleads w ith his fath er: T ak e me a n d d o n ’t let me go. D o n ’t me go. I ’ll d raw you after m e (p. 242). I Weź m nie i nie puszczaj — nie puszczaj — ja cię p o ciąg n ę za so b ą (p. 157)]. O rcio m eans th at he will pull his father into heaven. T h at is, H enry can still save his soul by staying at his so n ’s side, show ing com passion and love. But H enry replies:
O u r p a th s are different. Y ou will forget me a m o n g angelic choirs. Y ou will never cast a single d ro p o f dew on m e fro m above. O G eorge. G e o rg e, my son!
( I . e . ) .
[R óżne drogi nasze — ty z ap o m n isz o m nie w śród ch ó ró w anielskich, ty k ropli rosy nie rzucisz mi z góry. — O Jerzy — Jerzy! — O synu m ój! (/.c\)].
In his last w ords to O rcio, he repeats his resolve to continue his vain p ursu it o f glory:
W ith this em b race I w ould un ite with you fo r all etern ity , bu t I m ust go in a n o th e r d irectio n (I.e.).
[Tym uściskiem ch ciałab y m się z to b ą połączyć na wieki — ale trza mi w inszą stro n ę (/.c.)].
Undivine C om edy a n d Faust 45 T hen O rc io is felled by an enem y bullet. Symbolically, H enry has deserted tru e, C h ristian poetry once again.
W hen P a n k ra c y ’s m ob cap tu res the fortress, H enry leaps to his d eath. P an k racy th en looks up an d sees a vision o f C hrist “leaning on his cross like an avenger on his sw ord” in the sky. Pankracy falls dead, crying, “G alilaee, v icisti!” (“ G alilean, you have c o n q u e re d !”).
A lthough the title o f the play is a variation on D a n te ’s Divine
C om edy, K rasiński chose this title only after com pleting the dram a,
which he h a d form erly intended to call M ą ż {Husband o r M an o f
the N ation) T he chief literary p ro to ty p e for The Undivine Comedy is actually G o e th e ’s Faust. G o e th e ’s influence is discernible in the general stru c tu re o f The Undivine C om edy as well as in num erous details a n d m otifs. C o m p arison o f the Polish play with its G erm an m odel helps to u n d erstand how the plan for a d ra m a o f such b road them atic dim ensions was conceived and realized by the tw enty-one- -year-old K rasiński.
Them atically, The Undivine Com edy consists o f tw o m ain p arts co rresp o n d in g to th e tw o te m p ta tio n s—carn al beau ty an d g lo ry — p rep ared by the evil spirits. T he first p art focuses on a personal, fam ily conflict: H e n ry ’s relationship with his wife an d son. The second p a rt p o rtray s H e n ry ’s role in a revolutionary struggle. This tw o -p art stru ctu re is p attern ed after G o e th e ’s d ram a, which focuses first o n F a u s t’s relationship w ith M argaret an d H elen, th en on his role in quelling an arm ed rebellion.
C o u n t H en ry is p attern ed to a certain extent after F aust, whose first nam e is also H enry in G o e th e ’s dram a. Like F aust, C o u n t H enry has supposedly reached the ultim ate lim it o f all ratio n al knowledge, b ut finds him self deeply dissatisfied:
I have la b o re d for m any years to discover the final end o f all know ledge, pleasu re, a n d th o u g h t, a n d I have discovered a gravelike em p tin ess in my heart. I k now every feeling by nam e, b u t th ere is n o desire, no faith, an d n o love inside me. O n ly a few fo reb o d in g s h a u n t th at desert —th a t m y son will go blind, th at th e society in which 1 grew up will d isso lv e —an d 1 suffer, as G o d is happy, alo n e w ithin m yself, for m yself a lo n e (p. 197).
[P raco w ałem lat wiele na od k ry cie o sta tn ie g o k o ń ca w szelkich w iadom ości, rozkoszy i m yśli, i o dkryłem — p ró żn ię g ro b o w ą w sercu m oim . — Z n am w szystkie uczucia po im ieniu, a żadnej żądzy, żadnej w iary, m iłości nie m a we m nie —
je d n o kilka przeczuciów krąży w tej pustyni — o synu m oim . że oślepnie - o to w arzystw ie. w k tórym w zrosłem , że rozprzęgnie się — i cierpię tak . ja k B óg jest szczęśliwy, sam w sobie, sam dla siebie (pp. 9 6 — 97)].
Like F aust, w ho becom es M ephistopheles' co m p anion an d ally. C o u n t H enry is actually jo in in g with M ephistopheles when he vow s to follow the eagle o f glory.
F aust alm ost com m its suicide near the beginning o f G o e th e 's dram a, but a chorus o f angels breaks into song, saving him . It is Easter and the angels sing an E aster hym n with the prom ise o f salvation from sin (Faust, 720 - 8 0 7 ) 4. Sim ilarly, in The Undivine
C om edy H e n ry ’s guardian angel saves him from suicide, prom ising him
th at his sins have been cleansed by O rc io ’s christening.
C o un t H en ry 's wife M aria is a synthesis o f F au st's M arg aret an d Helen. F aust ab a n d o n s M argaret, going into the m o u n tain s on W alpurgis N ight, where he dances with a lusty young witch. T he song she sings links h er with Eve and the G a rd en o f E den :
T h e little ap p les m an entice Since first they were in P aradise. I feel m yself w ith pleasure glow T h at such w ithin my garden grow .
(4 1 3 2 -4 1 3 5 )
F aust tu rn s aw ay from her in disgust when a red m ouse springs from her lips as she sings. T hen he retu rn s to tow n, w here he finds M argaret in prison. F a u st’s desertion o f M arg aret an d the rem orse she feels fo r th e death o f her new born baby have driven h er insane. She is ab o u t to be executed at the end o f P art One.
T he ghost o f the p ro stitu te which C o u n t H enry follows into the m o u n tain s was clearly inspired by G o e th e 's young witch. T he tran sfo rm atio n o f the g h o st’s flowers into snakes and lizards is a v aria tion on G o e th e ’s red m ouse. Like the witch in Faust, the ghost in
The Undivine Com edy is associated with Eden, which the evil spirits
evoke at the beginning o f the play 5. In both cases, extrem e repulsi veness is show n to lie beneath the ephem eral beauty o f carnal love. 4 All cita tio n s from Faust are tak e n fro m : J. W. von G o e t h e . Faust. P arts
O ne a n d Two. ed. a n d tran sl. G . M. Priest. N ew Y o rk 1941, a n d referred to by
line n u m b er in this editio n .
? H enry unjustly links M aria with Eve a n d the G a rd e n o f E den im m ediately before he deserts h er ( S e g e l, p. 185; K r a s i ń s k i , p. 78).
Undivine C om edy a n d Faust 47 In b o th w orks, the hero 's true lover goes insane after he deserts her. M argaret is taken to prison, M aria to an insane asylum . Both die. M aria recites verses in which she speaks o f flying aw ay as a bird:
Infinity s u rro u n d e d me.
A n d like a bird, w ith wings I cleave T h e azure o f infinity.
A n d flying. fade en tirely ;
Black n o thingness alo n e 1 leave (p. 190). [N ieskończoność m nie obleje
I ja k p tak w nieskończoności Błękit skrzydłam i rozw ieję
I lecąc się rozem dleję
czarnej nicości (p. 87)].
This m o tif recalls song lines sung by M argaret in prison: A forest b ird fair I becam e th a t d a y ;
Fly aw ay! Fly aw ay!
(4419 - 4420)
Insane, M arg aret hears voices from hell beneath the prison floor; beneath the floor o f M aria’s room in the insane asylum , a m a d m a n ’s voice echoes the ungodly views o f Pankracy.
M aria also resem bles F a u s t’s H elen in th a t she is the m o ther o f H e n ry ’s poet-son. O rcio is a v ariation on E u ph o rio n , the son o f H elen and Faust. Like O rcio, E u p h o rio n is a sym bol, o r em bodim ent, o f poetry. He plays the lyre, rejoicing in n ature, and is rem iniscent o f O rpheus. As G oethe him self explained, he is also associated with G eorge Byron, the quintessential R om an tic poet who died in pursuit o f heroic d ee d s6. In his eu ph oric urge to accom plish great deeds (a reflection o f F aust him self as well as Byron) E u ph orion im agines he has wings an d dies as he crashes like Icarus on the cliff's:
Still m ust I ! —See the wings T h at now unfo ld !
T h ith e r! I m ust! I m ust! G ru d g e not the flight!
(9 8 9 7 -9 9 0 0 )
Sim ilarly, C o un t H enry 's son is a poet nam ed G eorge (Jerzy), recalling G eorge B y ro n 7. The nicknam e O rcio evidently com es from
6 See P rie st’s c o m m en ta ry in G o e t h e , op. cit., pp. 409 — 410. 7 See n o te 2.
O rpheus, an d H enry refers to his son as a “singer” at the end o f P art Tw o. O rc io ’s guiding his father dow n in to the castle dungeon (“the th resho ld o f hell,” as H enry calls it) is rem iniscent o f O rp h e u s’ descent into the underw orld. In his quest fo r H elen, F aust is guided into the underw orld by the poet-seer M an to , who -claims th a t she form erly guided O rpheus in his quest for Eurydice {Faust, 7489— 7494).
In the m adhouse, H e n ry ’s wife tells him th a t she h as “pinned wings” on O rcio:
1 fasten ed o n his w ings a n d d isp atch ed him a m o n g the w orlds th a t he m ight im bibe ev ery th in g th a t is lovely a n d terrib le a n d lofty. O n e day he will re tu rn an d will b ring you jo y (p. 191).
Ja m m u skrzydła przypięła, p o słała m iędzy św iaty, by się n ap o ił w szystkim , co piękne i straszne, i wyniosłe. — O n w róci kiedyś i u ra d u je ciebie (p. 88)].
T his m o tif was pro b ab ly inspired by the wings o f E u ph orio n. In Faust, E u p h o rio n ’s voice is heard “from the d ep th s” after he dies:
Leave me in realm s o f d eath . M o th er, n o t all alo n e!
(9905 - 9906)
Helen then follows him to the underw orld. In The Undivine
Com edy the sequence is reversed. O rcio ’s m o th er (styled in p art after
M argaret) dies first, follow ed by her son. W hen he is killed, h er voice is heard from heaven:
T o me, to me, p u re sp irit! T o me, m y so n ! (p. 242).
ID o m nie, do m nie, d u c h u czysty — d o m nie. synu m ój! (p. 158)].
T he uprising which F au st helps to quell is led by a foreign em p ero r w ho is jo in ed by rebellious elem ents w ithin the em pire he invades. T h at is, it is both a rebellion an d an invasion. T he em pero r w hom F aust helps to defend is an inept bungler an d h ardly deserves to win. A ided by the m agic o f M ephistopheles, F aust is successful in defeating the rebels, unlike C o u n t H enry, w ho has n o chance against P an k ra cy ’s revolutionary hordes. But the b attle in Faust clearly inspired the correspondin g episode in The Undivine Comedy. C o u n t H e n ry ’s league with “the p a st”, which he has vow ed to defend, recalls M ephistopheles’ bolstering the em p ero r’s defences with the ghosts o f knights from the p ast (see Faust, 10554— 10570). M oreover, the setting fo r the final battle in Faust closely resem bles th a t o f
Undivine C om edy a n d Faust 49
The Undivine Comedy. T he rebels m ust storm rocky cliffs high in a m o u n tain pass, where the defenders o f the em pire are entrenched. K rasiński doubtless associated the rebellion in Faust with the E u ro p ean rev olu tionary ferm ent o f the 1830’s, and in his d ram a the rebellion becom es a class struggle. •
B oth Faust and The Undivine Com edy p o rtray a struggle between G o d and the Devil for the soul o f the hero. Faust opens with a Prologue in H eaven, where M ephistopheles and G o d agree on the term s o f the contest. A t the beginning o f The Undivine C om edy, the g u ard ia n angel and the evil spirits com e forw ard as con testants fo r H e n ry ’s soul, setting the stage for the dram a th at subsequently unfolds. T he ending o f Faust, in which angels wrest the h e ro ’s soul from the Devil, prob ab ly influenced the finale o f The Undivine
C om edy, in which P ankracy, a virtual A ntichrist, is vanquished by
the vision o f Christ.
H ow ever, the extent o f G o e th e ’s influence on the ending o f The
Undivine C om edy difficult to m easure because K rasiński left m uch unsaid. It is clear th at neither the rebels n o r the aristo crats are w holly on the side o f C h ristian tru th . But the question rem ains w hether H e n ry ’s soul, in K rasih sk i’s conception, goes to hell, as even H enry him self anticipates. O r has C hrist in his infinite m ercy spared H e n ry ’s soul, as in F a u s tl8
In a letter to D elfina P o to ck a dated M arch 20, 1840, K rasiński 8 A s W. L e d n i c k i has noted, K rasiń sk i w as ignoring C a th o lic theology if he envisioned salv atio n fo r H en ry a fte r c o m m ittin g suicide (“T he U ndivine C o m ed y ,” [in:] Z y g m u n t K rasiński. R om antic Universalis/. An International Tribute, ed. W. Led nicki, N ew Y o rk 1964, p. 82). But the d efenders o f th e H oly T rin ity C astle are n o m in ally o n the side o f C h rist (w ho is p a rt o f the past w hich they defend) an d , in light o f F a u s t’s e x tra o rd in a ry salv atio n in K ra sin sk i’s m ain literary p ro to ty p e, sa lv atio n fo r H en ry c an n o t be ruled out. It is w o rth n o tin g th a t P a n k ra c y ’s vision o f C h rist is rem iniscent o f m any icon d e p ic tio n s o f C h ris t’s “ h a rro w in g ” o f hell. See, fo r exam ple, J. B e c k w i t h , E arly Christian and B yzantine A rt, M iddlesex 1979, pp. 220, 307, T h e Pelican H isto ry o f A rt. T hese icons show a d eterm ined, w arrio r-lik e C h rist pulling a m an o u t o f hell by the arm . C h rist is leaning on his c ro ss as th o u g h it w ere a spear, m uch as he leans o n his cross “ like an av en g er on his sw o rd ” in P a n k ra cy ’s vision. It is also w orth n o tin g th a t P a n k ra c y ’s w o rd s “ G alilean , yo u have c o n q u e re d !” are neatly p aralleled by H e n ry 's w ords sp o k en in P a rt O n e w hen he is a b o u t to co m m it suicide: “O G o d , Y o u r enem y c o n q u e rs!” (“ Boże — w róg T w ój zw ycięża!” ). T his passage refers to the contest for H e n ry ’s soul.
described his plans for an expanded, th ree-part version o f The Undi
vine C om edy, in which the d ram a w ritten in 1833 was to com prise
only the second part. (He w orked on th e first p art between 1838 an d 1852. but never began the third.) In sum m arizing the second p art, he refers to the “a p p a re n t d efeat” {przegrana pozorna) o f the aristocratic forces. A ccording to his plan for the th ird p art, H enry was to be “resurrected ” :
H e n ry 's d eath was illusory. H e w as saved by sp irits o f the Lord an d rem oved from th e c lam o r o f the w orld u n til the sto rm sh o u ld pass. I...]
M eanw hile, b o th the a ris to c ra ts a n d th e d e m o c ra ts in the w orld ex h au sted them selves and people longed fo r peace a n d unity. T h ey rem em bered th a t there o nce lived a y o u th w ho sang a b o u t the fu tu re b ut late r fo u g h t fo r th e past a n d perished. It w as in th is spirit th a t (they saw] the tru th —in th e reco n ciliatio n o f the past a n d the p resent, b o th ta k e n to g eth e r. T his is the state o f th e w orld when H enry com es back am o n g people. T hey proclaim him th eir leader. H e will tu rn the poetry o f his y o u th in to re ality ; he will raise, elevate a n d en n o b le everyone. He will low er nobo d y . All will b ecom e equal, but on high [na w ysokości]. not on the m u n d an e level \na padole]. [...] In th is th ird p a rt, e v erything m ust be tran sfo rm ed , elevated, reconciled: religion, p olitical life, social life. T h e e nd should be, as in Faust, divine — su p e rw o rd ly — but wordly at the sam e tim e 1'.
Bui it rem ains open to debate w hether K rasiński, w riting under the influence o f Taust in 1833, intended to imply salvation fo r H en ry 's soul.
F au st’s developm ent is m ore extensive and com plex than th at o f C ount H enry, w ho sim ply succum bs to tw o successive tem ptation s before dying. In co n tra st, F aust, after aiding the em peror, goes on to build a u to p ia o f his ow n on land reclaim ed from the sea. In this respect he resem bles P ankracy, w ho hopes to co n qu er n atu re and build a rational, u to p ian state. F a u st’s attem p t to co nq uer the sea seems to be reflected in P an k ra cy ’s plans to reshape the land and w aterways. In both cases, th e end hardly justifies the m eans.
In the first edition o f The Undivine Com edy (Paris, 1835), P art T w o began with an epigraph from F aust: “ D u gem isch von K oth und F euer” (“Y ou m ixture o f m ud and fire” ). T his is actually an im precise parap h rase o f F au st's line addressed to M ephistopheles in M a rth a ’s gard en: “Z)w Spottgeburt von D reck und Feuer” (“Y ou
y K r a s i ń s k i , op. cit., pp. 178—180. E nglish tran s la tio n is my ow n. — N o te the sim ilarity betw een th e m o u n ta in cave setting in th is p lan a n d th e m o u n ta in cliff setting fo r the ep iso d e in Faust follow ing F a u s t’s death . As it rises to heaven. F a u s t’s soul passes th ro u g h m o u n ta in gorges w here a n ch o rite s dwell in th e cliffs.
Undivine C om edy a n d Faust 51 m o n stro u s progeny o f fire and filth,” 3536)10. T he epigraph was deleted in the later editions.
T he ending o f Irydion (1836) also bears the im print o f Faust. A ngels struggle with the Devil fo r the soul o f Irydion, who tried in vain to m ount a rebellion against R om e, seeking vengeance for his native G reece. T h an k s to the prayers o f the C hristian K ornelia, w ho recalls F a u st’s M argaret, his soul is saved “because he loved G re e c e 1'. ” A n o th er vestige o f Faust in Irydion is a singer nam ed E u p h o rio n w ho is ad ep t a t singing the songs o f H om er. H is nam e was p robably inspired by th a t o f the young O rpheus-like singer in Faust. O rp heus is m entioned in Irydion as a sym bol o f C hrist found in the R o m an catacom bs. H is playing on his lyre to the wild anim als is com pared with the gentleness o f C hrist. T his recalls the C hrist-like m eekness o f O rcio, the child poet o f The Undivine
C o m e d y ,2.
K ra siń sk i’s letters to H enry Reeve show th at he h ad read all o f
Faust by A pril, 1833, n o t long before he began w riting The Undivine Comedy. O n A pril 4, he w rote: “T he ending o f Faust proves
to me th a t G o eth e was truly a great poet, greater th an Byron h im se lf...” A n o th er letter to Reeve^ d ated A pril 9, begins with an allusion to Faust: „T od ay is E aster, the day o f the long m onolog which F au st recited when, in despair, he w anted to end it all. But the bells o f the R esurrection m ade the cup o f poison fall from his h a n d .” K rasiński ends his description o f E aster by referring to F aust once ag a in : “ W ho w ould think o f d eath on a day like this? There is no m ore death in the universe, an d F aust was saved because he believed in this day. N ear the end o f the letter, he writes o f the divine struggle between G o o d an d Evil: “ I u n d erstand this battle as well as D ante, as well as G oeth e him self; but I can n o t express it. H ow ever, som eday I will express it, if I do n o t die be f o re h a n d 1-'.”
10 See th e e d ito r's n o te in : K r a s i ń s k i , op. cit., p. 90.
11 Z. K r a s i ń s k i , Pism a. W ydanie jubileuszow e, vol. 3. K ra k ó w —W arszaw a 1912. pp. 1 0 3 - 3 3 2 .
>- See Correspondance de S igism ond K rasiński et de H enry Reeve, ed. J. K allen bach. vol. 2, P a ris 1902, p. 27.
Ibidem , pp. 43. 4 8 —50. All E nglish tra n s la tio n s o f the R eeve c o rresp o n d en c e
The influence o f D a n te ’s Divine C om edy is also discernible in K ra- sinski's d ram a, notably in the dungeon episode. G oethe, to o , was influenced by D an te in his account o f F au st's descent irito the u n d e r world. He m akes the poet-seer M anto F a u s t’s guide because Vergil, D a n te ’s guide, com es from M an tu a, which was founded by M an to , according to D a n te ’s Vergil. K rasiński was aw are o f this textual relationship an d he fashioned his du ngeon m o tif after b oth D an te and G oethe. The role o f O rc io ~ a n O rp heu s figure —as guide to the “ u nderw orld” ap p ears to have been inspired by M a n to ’s allusion to O rpheus in Faust. H ow ever, the poet O rc io ’s leading the poet H enry into the hellish dungeon recalls th e poet V ergil’s guiding the poet D ante through hell. M oreover. O rcio takes H enry to the du ngeon because M aria cam e in the night from heaven an d co m m an ded him to do so, m uch as D a n te ’s Beatrice descends from heaven to tell Vergil to accom pany D ante. B oth M aria and Beatrice function as g uard ian spirits at this point. Finally, C o u n t H e n ry ’s witnessing the form er to rtu res o f the dungeon (a virtual hell on earth ) recalls D a n te ’s to u r through the to rtu res o f the inferno.
As the m any textual parallels show, G o e th e ’s deep influence on
The Undivine C om edy is beyond question. H ow ever, the histories
o f Polish literature by K rzyżanow ski, K ridl and M ilosz d o not m ention G o e th e’s Faust in the chapters devoted to The Undivine C o m e d y 14. Stefan T reugutt, along with a num ber o f o th er critics, notes the sim ilarity in them atic scope between Faust an d The Undivine C om edy, an d he poin ts out the parallel between the utop ian asp iratio n s o f F aust and P ankracy Zbigniew Sudolski com pares the passion for know edge and the inner dissatisfaction which b o th F au st an d C o u n t H enry share. H e also notes the sim ilar tw o-them e stru ctu re o f Faust and The Undivine C o m e d y 16. But m any o f the form al parallels have gone unnoticed an d the far-reaching role played by Faust in the genesis o f The Undivine C om edy has no t been understoo d.
14 J. K r z y ż a n o w s k i , A H isto ry o f Polish L iterature, transl. D. R onow icz. W ar szaw a 1978. pp. 2 8 7 —290; M . K r i d l , A S urvey o f Polish L iterature and Culture. tran sl. O. Scherer-V irski, T h e H ague 1956, pp. 291 — 299; Cz. M i l o s z , The H istory
o f Polish Literature. N ew Y o rk 1969, pp. 243 — 247.
15 T re u g u tt’s in tro d u c tio n in: K r a s i ń s k i , N ie -B o sk a .. .. pp. 5 — 65, esp. pp. 21, 22, 63.
